My notes on Baby Sitter Must Die
A fast, funny, action-oriented horror movie (aka Josie Jane: Kill the Babysitter) that doesn’t cover new ground but does have a nice, spunky attitude.
One of those ominous prophecies is going around that a Satanic underground will rise – having mutilated themselves as a preparatory sacrifice – and take over the world or somesuch, though no details are given as to how this would make things worse than they already are. Josie Jane (Riley Scott), a young woman who’s perfectly happy with her solitary asexuality and summer gig as a camp counsellor, ducks out of going to a Christmas party in order to take a babysitter gig at the remote, castle-like estate of music producer Rick (Robert Scott Smith). While she’s looking after the adoring Sophia (Scarlett Hazen), Rick and his wife (Kristen Marie Jensen) and a couple of entourage members come back early – shortly followed by a Satanic strike force who are after a mcguffin concealed somewhere in the large, rambling mansion.
Leader of the gang is the Woman (Melinda Yeaman), who has sacrificed an eye (and hence compromised her aim), who comes over as a militia version of Martine Beswick’s Queen of Evil from Seizure – accompanied by a big bruiser who’s given up his voice (Nic Fitzgerald) and a jittery psycho who’s Van Goghed his ear (Alexander Woods). It turns out that all those merit badges Josie earned at camp – for parkour, martial arts, craftsmanship, etc – have applications in going Rambo-cum-Home Alone against dedicated cultist killers, which makes for a non-stop parade of stunts, kills and hairsbreadth escapes. It’s cartoonish, of course, but antagonists Scott and Yeaman bring a little depth to the roles of women who realise they’re much tougher and smarter than the folks on their side who consistently foul up or hold them back.
Scripted by Julie Auerbach, Kevin Tavolaro and director Kohl Glass.
Discussion
No comments yet.